]]>Joan Rivers reached the pinnacle of showbiz ­success, had it all come crashing down after she crossed one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and then rebuilt her career and billion-dollar brand from the ground up. Her husband killed himself in 1987 — and she came within a hair’s breadth of doing the same shortly after, with only her ­concern over her Yorkie, Spike, keeping her from blowing her brains out with a pistol. She underwent countless plastic surgeries, then died in 2014 at age 81 following a minor procedure on her throat. Her incredible life was an open book — even more so now, with the fascinating new biography Last Girl Before Freeway: The Life, Loves, Losses and Liberation of Joan Rivers (Little, Brown) hitting shelves on Nov. 15. Here, ­author Leslie Bennetts talks to OK! about her insights into the late comedy legend.

What was Joan’s favorite pastime away from the spotlight?
-The secret Joan Rivers was the studious Barnard graduate who loved to sit around in a bathrobe and no makeup, reading serious books. But her second favorite activity was taking all her friends and relatives to ­glamorous places for lavish vacations on a luxurious yacht.

You describe Joan sneaking extra soap from a motel housekeeper’s cart even while she was making millions. What drove her to do that?
-Joan’s father was a doctor, so she didn’t grow up poor, but the family wasn’t wealthy enough to live the way her mother wanted, and her parents had terrible fights about money. Joan herself struggled for years before she made it in comedy, and she never got over her fear of being poor. She always felt that she had to stock up on everything from expensive shoes to motel soap bars, because the hard times might come again.

How often did Joan consider taking her own life?
-I think the only time she seriously thought about committing suicide was the terrible period after her husband killed himself. Her career was ruined, she was deeply in debt, and she felt she had nothing to live for — and yet she went on to make an extraordinary comeback, and build a billion-dollar business in her 60s and 70s.

Was Joan faithful to Edgar during their marriage?
-She was not faithful to her husband, by her own admission, and she left him briefly during one affair. She also claimed to have had trysts with everyone from Johnny Carson and [Holly­wood tough guy] Robert ­Mitchum to JohnF. ­Kennedy.

Did Joan ever date again after the death of her husband, Edgar?
-Joan had quite a few lovers after her husband’s death, ­including a Greek shipping magnate, but the man she called the love of her life was the distinguished New York politician and philanthropist OrinLehman. Although they got ­engaged, she dumped him when she discovered he was cheating on her — and spent the rest of her life regretting it.

Was growing up as the daughter of a showbiz ­legend hard for Melissa?
-It’s difficult for the children of stars to grow up in the shadow of a famous parent, and when Melissa went into show business she was always overshadowed by her larger-than-life mother. Melissa had an Ivy League education, and some of her friends think she would have been happier if she’d become a doctor or a lawyer instead of going into show business to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

What drove Joan to insult other celebrities and comedians?
-Joan never got over her anger that she wasn’t pretty, and that beautiful women had such an unfair advantage. Her jealousy fueled much of her early humor, including her infamous fat-­shaming of ElizabethTaylor, and in later years LenaDunham. As Joan got older she also became jealous of younger comics like Kathy Griffin, because she saw their success as a threat to her own status as the Queen of Comedy.

Was there one celebrity that Joan hated above all, and why?
-I don’t think she truly hated any of them, but she was jealous of and competitive with many.

What was the single most shocking thing you learned about Joan while doing the book?
-Since she spent her whole life trying to shock the entire world, nothing about Joan Rivers shocks me. But I would like to know if she was really telling the truth when she claimed to have touched Johnny Carson’s p***s.

]]>Joan Riverswas remembered once again this week, when her daughter, Melissa Rivers, gave a touching, yet humorous, speech about her late mom at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Breakfast.

The eulogy touched on the comedienne’s memorable qualities, with a joke or two thrown in, just as Joan herself would’ve done, even in an emotional time. This is the first time Melissa has spoken publicly about her mother’s death.

Picture by: Jackson Lee / Splash News

“I want to thank everyone for inviting me here this morning, and before we start, I’d like to point out that it is definitely a little intimidating to be in a room with the most beautiful, successful women in Hollywood,” Melissa began, quickly quipping, “But Angelina [Jolie], I just want you to know, I’m really very normal and accessible!”

From there, Melissa went onto praise her mom, while defending her habit of poking fun at fellow celebrities. “My mother was fearless,” she gushed. “And I don’t mean she didn’t have any fears. I mean that even though she was only 5’2″, she stood tall and walked through it. And that’s what made her such a brilliant performer. She was willing to say what others were thinking and too frightened to admit. She made fun of herself first and foremost, which gave her the right to joke about others. She never apologized for a joke, and no topic was taboo, and she was fine with that.”

In conclusion, Melissa added, “If my mother were here this morning, she’d not only be grateful and proud, she would be beyond herself. SHe would be sitting at the table beaming, while very discreetly shoving croissants and silverware into her purse. On behalf of my mother — thank you so, so much. It’s an honor.”

Joan died in September at the age of 81, due to complications from a minor throat procedure. It was recently announced that Kathy Griffin will be replacing her as the host of Fashion Police in 2015.

]]>Fashion Police will have a new host when it returns in 2015. Following Joan Rivers’ death earlier this year, the E! show took a brief hiatus, but will return in January with, as rumored, Kathy Griffin at the helm.

“I get it! These are some big shoes to fill,” the comedienne said in a statement. “Joan was truly one of a kind. Now I hope you will accept me for me. I’m just Kathy. Did I say I’m just Kathy? I meant I’m Kathy F—ing Griffin and you celebrities better strap yourselves in, as I’m taking no prisoners. I am not holding back so DAMMIT let’s have some fun!”

Former co-hosts Giuliana Rancic and Kelly Osbournewill return, but with George Kotsiopoulos leaving, Brad Gorecki will add another new face to the cast.

“Kathy just feels right and Brad brings a fun, new voice to join Giuliana and Kelly in this ensemble,” Melissa Rivers, Joan’s daughter and Fashion Police EP, added. “I’m excited to see where this panel takes this series my mother so adored in this next incarnation.”

Additionally, when Fashion Police returns, it will no longer be a weekly show. Instead, the series will only air 17 episodes throughout 2015, mostly focusing on major awards shows.

]]>http://starmagazine.com/2014/12/01/kathy-griffin-new-fashion-police-host-replacing-joan-rivers/feed/0Melissa Rivers Opens Up About Medical Failings in Joan Rivers' Deathhttp://starmagazine.com/2014/11/11/melissa-rivers-disappointed-medical-failings-joan-rivers-death/
http://starmagazine.com/2014/11/11/melissa-rivers-disappointed-medical-failings-joan-rivers-death/#respondTue, 11 Nov 2014 16:42:09 +0000http://starmagazine.com/?p=156155It’s been confirmed that Joan Rivers died from complications during an endoscopy and now, the blame is on…

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a report that outlines multiple failings on the clinic’s part during the procedure. For instance, doctors did not record the comedienne’s weight before the surgery was done to determine the amount of sedative to administer. Additionally, the clinic “failed to identify deteriorating vital signs and provide timely intervention.” Plus, among other failings, there was conflicting information about when CPR was delivered after Joan was found to have no pulse and the ENT doctor who performed the procedure wasn’t even a member of the Yorkville staff!

With these facts out there, the late star’s daughter, Melissa Rivers, has issued a statement expressing her disappointment. “Our client, Melissa Rivers, is terribly disappointed to learn of the multiple failings on the part of medical personnel and the clinic as evidenced by the CMS report,” her attorney said. “As any of us would be, Ms. Rivers is outraged by the misconduct and mismanagement now shown to have occurred before, during and after the procedure. Moving forward, Ms. Rivers will direct her efforts towards ensuring that what happened to her mother will not occur again with any other patient.”

A rep for Melissa previously confirmed that the 46-year-old is planning to file a multi-million dollar wrongful death lawsuit against the clinic.

]]>Fashion Police will return in 2015, but the specifics behind the show without host Joan Rivershave yet to be revealed. It was confirmed this week, though, that Kathy Griffin was offering the late comedienne’s role as head honcho.

“They did offer it to me,” the red-headed funny lady told Access Hollywood. “I don’t know if the situation is correct at this time for me or right for me at this time.”

]]>http://starmagazine.com/2014/11/04/kathy-griffin-offered-joan-rivers-fashion-police-job/feed/0Joan Rivers' Cause of Death Revealedhttp://starmagazine.com/2014/10/16/joan-rivers-cause-of-death/
http://starmagazine.com/2014/10/16/joan-rivers-cause-of-death/#respondThu, 16 Oct 2014 18:01:12 +0000http://starmagazine.com/?p=152406The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office announced Joan Rivers’ official cause of death on Thursday. As suspected,…

]]>The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office announcedJoan Rivers’ official cause of death on Thursday. As suspected, the comedienne died from complications due to surgery she was having on her throat.

“OCME [Office of the Chief Medical Examiner] has completed its investigation,” spokeswoman Julie Bolcer said in a statement. “The cause of Ms. Rivers’ death is anoxic encephalopathy due to hypoxic arrest during laryngoscopy and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with propofol sedation for evaluation of voice changes and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The classification of death as a therapeutic complication means that the death resulted from a predictable complication of medical therapy.”

The Fashion Police host was getting a minor procedure done for acid reflux and suffered from a lack of oxygen, which led to brain damage and ultimately caused her death.

“We continue to be saddened by our tragic loss and grateful for the enormous outpouring of love and support from around the world,” Joan’s daughter,Melissa Rivers, said in a statement. “We have no further comment at this time.”

]]>Since Joan Rivers’ death on Sept. 4, fans of Fashion Police have wondered what the fate of her hit E! show will be. On Friday, the network made an official announcement regarding the show, which is also hosted by Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Osbourne and George Kotsiopoulos.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Joan Rivers and, for the last two weeks, have turned our attention to honoring her memory on all of our platforms,” E! said in a statement. “We have also thought long and hard about what Joan would have wanted as it pertains to the future of Fashion Police. We decided, withMelissa Rivers’ blessing, that Joan would have wanted the franchise to continue. Fashion Police will return in 2015 commencing with Golden Globes coverage on Monday, January 12. No further details will be announced at this time.”

On Sept. 19, Melissa hosted a Fashion Police special, with Giuliana, Kelly and George, to remember her mother.

]]>For the first time since her mother, Joan Rivers’, funeral on Sept. 7, Melissa Rivers is slowly coming back into the public eye. The reality star returned to social media on Wednesday to share a message with fans about how she’s been coping.

“As my son Cooper and I mourn the loss of my mother, we want to thank everyone for the beautiful cards and flowers, conveying heartfelt messages and condolences, which continue to arrive from around the world and through social media,” she wrote on WhoSay. “My mother would have been overwhelmed by the scope and depth of love that people have expressed for her. It is certainly helping to lift our spirits during this time. We are forever grateful for your kindness and support in continuing to honor my mother’s legacy, and for remembering the joy and laughter she brought for so many.”

This was Melissa’s first post on social media since Aug. 27, which was one day before Joan was rushed to the hospital. The 81-year-old stopped breathing during a minor procedure on her vocal chords, and was placed in a medically induced coma for a week, until Melissa decided to take her off life support on Sept. 4.

This Friday, Fashion Police will celebrate “Joan Day” on E!, with an all-day marathon of back-to-back episodes, showcasing the comedienne’s best jokes from the show. It will conclude with Melissa joining fellow co-hosts Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Osbourne and George Kotsiopoulos for a 90-minute special, in which they’ll reflect on Joan’s life and share behind-the-scenes and never before seen moments.

]]>http://starmagazine.com/2014/09/18/melissa-rivers-returns-to-social-media-after-joan-rivers-death-fashion-police-special/feed/0Joan Rivers Memorial Send-Off Detailshttp://starmagazine.com/2014/09/07/joan-rivers-memorial-send-off/
http://starmagazine.com/2014/09/07/joan-rivers-memorial-send-off/#respondSun, 07 Sep 2014 16:39:46 +0000http://starmagazine.com/?p=142498Joan Rivers was remembered in a private memorial service at Temple Emanu-El in New York City on Sunday.…

]]>Joan Rivers was remembered in a private memorial service at Temple Emanu-El in New York City on Sunday. The 81-year-old comedy legend, who was placed in a medically induced coma after she stopped breathing during vocal cord surgery, passed away on Thursday, Sept. 4 at Mount Sinai Hospital.

The star-studded event included a eulogy delivered by Howard Stern and performances by Hugh Jackman and Audra McDonald. Bagpipers from the New York City Police Department played “New York, New York” and the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus sang Broadway hits including “Hey Big Spender.”

Joan, born Joan Alexandra Molinsky, first gained popularity as a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. She won a Daytime Emmy in 1990 for Outstanding Talk Show Host for The Joan Rivers Show which ran from 1989 to 1993. At the time of her death, she was the host of the E!’s hugely popular Fashion Police.

Of her own funeral, the comedienne once joked, “When I die (and yes, Melissa, that day will come; and yes, Melissa, everything’s in your name), I want my funeral to be a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action. I want craft services, I want paparazzi and I want publicists making a scene! I want it to be Hollywood all the way…I want Meryl Streep crying, in five different accents…I want to be buried in a Valentino gown and I want Harry Winston to make me a toe tag. And I want a wind machine so that even in the casket by hair is blowing just like Beyonce’s.”